Boomer Back in Business, and the Bengals Are Too

Boomer Esiason in relief is still better than a starting Kelly Holcomb.

Esiason, who replaced a shaken Jeff Blake midway through the third quarter, passed for two touchdowns and Corey Dillon ran 46 yards for another score as Cincinnati won its second game in a row Sunday, defeating winless Indianapolis, 28-13.

“It seemed like when I got on the field, all of a sudden, I had the ball around the 50, our defense was making turnovers,” said Esiason, 36, who was seven for 10 passing for 82 yards. “I don’t think I really had that far to go with the offense, so I was the beneficiary of some good defensive plays and good field position.”

Holcomb, making his first NFL start in place of injured Jim Harbaugh and Paul Justin, was sacked seven times and intercepted three times, two of which led to touchdowns by the Bengals (3-7).

“I expected a lot of pressure. This was my first start,” said Holcomb, who was 19 of 32 for 236 yards. “Guys aren’t going to sit back and play on their heels when they know they have a rookie playing quarterback.”

Holcomb was injured in the first half, but played the rest of the game with a small fracture in his non-throwing hand.

The Colts got more than 100 yards rushing by Marshall Faulk for the first time this season, but couldn’t overcome their own mistakes. Their abysmal start is second only to the 1986 season, when they lost their first 13 games.

The Colts became the first team since the Bengals in 1993 to start 0-10. Cincinnati won its 11th game that season.